I have (as previously mentioned in other posts) been having some health issues.  I mentioned that I was waiting on test results.  I got a CT back that showed that surgery would be very helpful, if not necessary.  I will not get better if I do not have the surgery, but I won't die if I don't have it...I will just continue to feel sick.
Insurance hasn't been able to give me a clear answer as to whether or not it will be covered, so I have to just keep trucking forward, unaware of what will happen with money.  I don't have enough money to pay for it myself, so I am hoping that insurance will help.  That is something to pray for for me!

Health issues aside, this week has been nice.  I am going out with friends tonight as a sort of good-bye dinner for my coworker.  Right now I am extremely tired.  I just spent the last 30 minutes back in my office between classes trying to sleep a little, which is easier said than done! I hope to get the energy needed to be up and energetic tonight!

I am excited to go to Hong Kong tomorrow for church.  I will also end up visiting a university classmate who is in HK for 2 months.  It will be nice catching up and being in the big city for a while!

Our TV broke a couple weeks ago.  Monday, a student will come to my house to check out the TV situation, and to try to figure out what the problem is.  Then, he will help us call a repair man to fix the damage.  Hopefully it's not more than it's worth!

Today, I taught a student who was soooo tired.  He was writing  little, and then falling asleep.  I'd say his name, and he'd start to fall over, and he'd catch himself, and move enough to get his head on the desk.  Students here are so busy and work so hard that it is so difficult for them to stay awake.  Sometimes I don't know how they last as long as they do: especially the teenage boys!  Kids here are up until 12 or 1, and they wake up at 7.  That's not a lot of sleep for a kid! The younger kids might even get up earlier than that!  It is so different to be in a culture where the people have such a lack of sleep, and where work and studying come before sleep.  Please pray for this student, as he does not have an easy week ahead of him, and he is in need of rest so that he can function!

Back to work!

So, I went back to work today for what feels like the first time in forever!

For those who don't know... Thursday I got a cold, Friday when walking home from an appointment, I started to feel faint.  After getting home and napping, I decided that work wasn't gonna happen so called in sick with a slight fever.  Later that night I was almost immobilized with a fever of 101.8, and I called in sick for Saturday too, and slept from 3pm to 3pm the next day, waking up only to take my temp and grumble and allow someone to give me some liquids (SO thankful to not be living alone).  Saturday my fever was only 100 something, which was better, but I was still dizzy. Sunday I felt better, but stayed home until the evening to avoid risking infecting others and to avoid over exerting myself, and my outing was only 2 hours, 3 blocks away. Monday I woke up early to go to the doctor (for other issues) and came back home and was lazy until that night when I went out with friends.

That brings me to today.  First day back to work since Thursday.  I guess that's the length of a long weekend, but I felt so out of the loop. Thankfully, my coworkers were really good about taking care of my students when I was gone, and keeping me up to date about what actually happened during the classes. I had a pretty good day.  My classes went smoothly, and my food was tasty.  Our meetings went pretty well too, except for my apparent need to make up for all of the talking that I was unable to do the days prior.

I am feeling so much better, and I am very excited for all that is to come!

• We have fun plans this weekend to go to Hong Kong for a celebration of 100 years in China-ish for LCMS!
• We might have a dress up day next week Wednesday to celebrate Reformation Day (which I realize is actually Thursday... but it means that I can wear my orange pants!)
• We have plans to talk about the Pilgrims and the first Thanksgiving this November
• Christmas plans seem to be coming along well!
• My birthday is soon! (well, soon after Christmas!)
• My parents are coming! And probably my brother too!

I have so much to look forward to.  I am excited for the future, but still living in the moment as to not overlook any opportunity to share the Gospel!

Last night (as I said I went out with friends) I met some new people.  One of the people told me that she is a Christian--sort of.  She hasn't been baptized.  I asked her what was keeping her from being baptized, and she said that it's because she doesn't know everything about God.  I told her that I was baptized as a baby, and I knew nothing!  And in fact, I still don't know everything about God!  I told her that if we wait until we know everything about God, then we will never, ever be baptized.  I encouraged her to think about this and consider being baptized.  In the audience was a young man that I've known for over a year, and he is in the same boat that she is: he believes, but is not baptized.  For sake of privacy, and because I didn't ask permission to share this, I will not share their names (as normal).  But I would like to ask you to pray for them.  You can name them yourself if you would like ;) God knows who you are talking about!

I think that is all today!  I pray that you all have a wonderful week! :)

Health

For those of you who read my updates sent via e-mail, you may know that I haven't been doing too well.  I wrote that when I was in a down mood, so it maybe came off more extreme than it really is, but I do have some things that need healing. I'm normally more private with this, but since I sent out an e-mail with stuff in it, I should probably explain some more, as many people were worried.

I took 2 days off of work because I was sick.  This is my first sick day, minus a day that I went home early wayyy back when I first started...so this is not normal for me.  I was sick enough that I couldn't stand for more than 30 seconds without feeling absolutely ready to fall.  I slept for about 24 hours, getting up every now and then for restroom breaks and to check my temperature...and to try to get the sun out of my eyes! (Here in Asia the curtains typically don't block much--if any--sunlight.) I ended up with a relatively high temperature and I was thankful that I had called in sick earlier that day. I now have downgraded (or maybe upgraded?) to only a slight fever.  I am still not in a position to call myself well, but I am definitely better.

I have been plagued with headaches--most of which turn into migraines--for a long time.  They have been getting worse, and I am sick of having migraines.

I've had a sore throat for...well...at least half a year.  Apparently that's due to some sinus problems that I have, and I am consulting with a doctor to see if surgery is needed.  I have some tests coming up on Monday, so I should know more about that later.  I am hoping that if surgery is needed, that my migraines are also being caused by this, because it would be WONDERFUL if all of it could go away. That's where I am with my physical health.

I try to remain positive through it all, but after so long of not feeling well, it's harder and harder to be positive.  So that's a lot of what is emotionally draining for me. I did write that my emotions were not so great, which is true.  Just know that it's mostly from my physical (un)wellbeing.

I am thankful for the friends that I have here who have been helping me with doctors appointments, getting food when I can't, listening and caring, and so much more. Though I have found English speaking doctors, the specialist that I needed (and who was recommended to me) doesn't speak English, so it's been helpful having a friend go with me to understand what wasn't translated 100% by the nurse. God has really blessed me here with local friends.

I also am so thankful for the responses that I have had from the e-mail that I sent out.  I am really appreciative of people who truly care and pray for me!

Feelings

You will see a few different posts from the past couple days.  I haven't posted in a while, and I want to separate the updates into easier to read sections, so I posted a few things tonight. I guess you can say that I followed the gov't shutdown ;)  Ok, just kidding.  I was just lazy.

I think that the reason that I haven't been posting lately is that I have been going through a little bit of culture shock to say the least.  It's been a rough couple months.  I have had the lack of motivation for...well...about anything. I don't like this feeling, and I am trying to shake it.  It's been better the last few days, and I am not as worried as I was before.

That being said, I don't want to get into my being sad too much.  I am human, and even though I am here as a light to the world, I sometimes feel sadness too.  But even through that sadness, God works.  I had the opportunity to talk with a local who I have gotten to know well, and whose English level is close to a native speaker.  I ended up talking her ear off, but it was comforting for me to have her listen.  She knows me fairly well, and knows American culture, and she listened and responded to my concerns.  Additionally, she was having some concerns of her own, and it was nice to be able to share that with each other, and to share the love of God with each other, and His place in our lives.  It was encouraging to talk with my sister in Christ, and to share burdens with each other.  I realized that God has placed others in our lives to share our burdens, and I found out that he has given me a few friends here who I can rely on to help me when I am in trouble as well.

Though I still need prayers for getting over the hump, Also please pray a prayer of thanksgiving that even half way around the world, I have been able to find sisters to share both joys and struggles with. Please pray for the ladies that I talked with this weekend who have struggles of their own. Please ask God to comfort them in their time of need.

China

Last Sunday was a holiday.  It was the mountain climbing holiday.  The origin for the holiday has a deeper meaning, but it's celebrated now as a vacation time, and for the most part strictly mountain climbing. This weekend since it was on Sunday, there was a make-up holiday for Monday.  That doesn't affect me, as my day off is Monday anyway, but it allowed one of my friends to agree to take an overnight trip with me! My roommates, friend, and I went to a nearby city in the mainland to visit some friends and climb a mountain!  It was a lot of fun to be able to go outside of Macau and to climb a mountain to see new scenery!  I enjoyed the trip, as it was a way for me to discuss many things with my friends--both the one from Macau and a couple who live in the mainland.  It occurred to me as we were walking up the mountain that we are all Christians.  Besides spending time strictly with coworkers, it's not common that I get to spend time with a group that is all Christian.  It was comforting for me to be able to be with my brothers and sisters and to receive encouragement from them that is not only worldly, but grounded in Christ Jesus.

Things we did while we were there: tour the local Christian church, eat good food, see friends, climb a mountain, eat at a revolving restaurant (in a tower), and go shopping!

Thank God for a community of believers, and for a wonderful trip! :)

Korea

I was able to go to Korea in early October to visit some friends who had moved there.  They are my former colleagues (from here in Macau).  It was so great to get to see them!

We were able to visit cultural hot spots, namely a palace and a preserved village. It was so cool to see what it used to be like.  I don't know if it would have been cool to live under a king or an emperor, but it was really neat to see the area and learn about the traditions.

The food there was delicious.  Most of the food was vegetables, and it was mostly spicy.  Every meal was accompanied by some sort of pickled vegetable and/or kimchi (which is pickled itself).  Most of the places where we ate served food that was cooked at your table.

One of the restaurants, however, didn't have that.  In fact, it was American: it was Taco Bell!  I was so excited to be able to eat at Taco Bell outside of America!  My Chinese friend who traveled with me had never eaten Taco Bell before, and was understanding when I said that it was my favorite fast food restaurant, because the taste was so delicious!

Something else that was super exciting was the baseball game.  We started off the day by going out to eat, but we had a 40 minute wait for a table.  Across the street there were some batting cages, so we crossed the street and hit some balls!  I hadn't played baseball in a LONG time, and it was fun to be able to do that!  Later that day, we went to a baseball game.  This game was so exciting!  Take the crowd from competative college basketball game and insert it into the baseball stadium.  It was jam packed, and the crowd was wild!  They were singing, dancing, clapping their inflatable clappers in different rhythms, and eating dried squid and Burger King.  It was so exciting to be able to be in the audience and watch a baseball game!  I didn't realize how much I missed that!

Something that I learned, by being there is how far I have come in China--with locations, the language, the culture, and more.  In Korea, I knew nothing, and I could have easily gotten very lost and unable to find my way back to the house we were staying at!  But it was such a great experience to be in a place where I knew nothing!  It helped me appreciate what I do know here!

Food!

Food has had an interesting part of the last month.  We have had people in and out of the center constantly, and it is difficult to keep it all straight!  But a common element is food.

Last month, I was blessed with the ability to invite some friends over for dinner.  I have 2 roommates right now, and they were willing to join us in a fun night of eating delicious food.  I invited 10 people to come over, but I was a little too late with my invitations, and only 3 were available.  So we had 3 people join us, and we had a wonderful time!  We played games (picture Apples to Apples and Phase 10 Dice), and we ate delicious food.  I have been in a pulled-pork craze ever since I found a crockpot stored in my kitchen!  We made pulled pork to eat with rice, and we made some delicious pasta with cream of chicken.  Our friends brought over some food as well, and it was a good time.  After eating the food, we went out to watch the fireworks that were going off that night.  It was so fun to be out on the town with some girls ;)  I had a lot of fun!

Another food event is an activity where the Church of All Nations came from Hong Kong to join us for a bi-annual social event. We ordered food from a restaurant to provide lunch for our attendees, and we used plates that were brought back from America.  This may seem like a small thing, but they were fall themed, and that is something that you just don't
find here!  It was SO fun to be able to use the pre-decorated paper plates and cups and napkins, and I was very excited. If you're looking for something to send in a care package, that might be it ;)  It was a successful event, and the turn out was great.  We had the PERFECT amount of food: there was enough for one more person to eat!  That is it!  We haven't had that perfect of a food amount in...well...ever!  That day was so busy, because we still had classes and other things going on, but it was a blessing to have them here. They were able to talk about different fall activities, and to discuss what is important to them in their lives, like Jesus Christ!

The same weekend, we also had a separate team from Hong Kong come to help us out with our Bible Study and Sunday morning worship.  So on Sunday we had a pot luck meal, and it was so much fun.  We made pulled pork (as I said, I am on a craze!), and it was one of the most talked-about dishes!  It was so different from Chinese food! The food attracted the people to come, and the Gospel was shared to them in the process!  The team had around 30 people on it, and it was fun to see them interacting with our students, sharing the Gospel.

More things with food have filled my time, but there have been so many that they have all melded together in my brain!